Lodi Unified parents, students propose PE waiver program

LODI - Tokay High senior Anthony Sorbera said he spends 20 hours a week practicing or competing in school sports.

Keith Reid

LODI - Tokay High senior Anthony Sorbera said he spends 20 hours a week practicing or competing in school sports.

Sorbera, 17, participates in cross country, track and wrestling. That's enough, he suggests, to allow him to waive a year's worth of physical education credits so he could spend more school time on other courses or electives that will help him get into college.

"As athletes we push ourselves," Sorbera said. "I think it's good for freshman to take a year of PE, but if you're in other sports, I think an exemption is fair for a second year so we can do other activities too."

Lodi Unified is the only large school district in San Joaquin County that does not allow student athletes to waive a second year, or 10 credits, of PE if they have extensive participation in athletics. With increased pressure on students to carry heavy course loads to get into college, however, some like Sorbera are seeking a respite from the second year requirement

The Board of Trustees on Tuesday night spent 90 minutes listening to a parent's plea for a PE waiver, and resistance from teachers who say two years of physical education is as important for student achievement as other core subjects like English and history.

Trustees eventually directed Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer to name a committee comprised of parents, students, teachers and coaches to form a proposal for a reasonable waiver policy for up to two semesters - or 10 units - of PE, and bring it back to the board sometime after the new year.

The number of student athletes interested in the waiver is a sliver of a high school's population, the board agreed.

"I think we have to do this to stay competitive. We are losing students to other districts," Trustee Bonnie Cassel said.

The number of students that will use a waiver may vary from high school to high school. Stockton Unified spokeswoman Diane Barth said Stagg High, for example, has 400 to 500 student athletes each year and "far fewer than half" waive PE. At schools that offer many advanced placement courses - which are weighted as 5.0 points on grade point average - more athletes are tempted to waive PE which is a 4.0 class.

Tuesday night's discussion began with parent Marena Henne, mother of Tokay High athlete Kylie Henne, proposing a waiver program and providing the district with policies used by nearby Stockton Unified, Galt Unified and Lincoln Unified. Some schools offer end-of-day PE periods where athletes head to practice instead of class.

Henne said her daughter, a junior, plans to apply to Dartmouth College. The college accepts incoming freshmen with a diverse load of studies and extra-curricular activities.

"A second year of PE isn't going to help her get into Dartmouth," Marena Henne said, adding that her daughter spends hours playing water polo and swimming.

Other arguments in favor of the waiver included reducing the risk of in-season injury for athletes that are pushing themselves in PE, and that it would not cost money or jobs to implement a waiver.

PE teachers, however, asked: What is so difficult about taking two years of PE? They said exposing students to a variety of sports and athletic challenges over two years of coursework is paramount to education. They also argue that coaches are not necessarily credentialed teachers, and putting them in charge of school credits is lowering standards.

"Coaches could be dentists, grocers...not qualified to do this job," said McNair High PE teacher Scott Berchtold. "PE standards are no less rigourous than any other subject area. Parents wouldn't want dentists or grocers teaching English or math."

Lodi High PE teacher Brad Friesen lamented the new culture of high school athletes gravitating toward a 12-month focus on one sport, suggesting that PE is one place where athletic diversity is valued.